NEWSLETTER TEAM


Directory: Diana Barber
Advertising: Andy Horne
Distribution: Malcolm Black
Proof reading: Nigel Lehmann
Treasurer: Kevin Hope
IT/Web Support: Martin Baxter


FROM THE EDITORS
This month, the Newsletter Box contained £30.48 – thank you.
We also thank the Hook Norton Festival of Fine Ales for their very generous donation.
Sadly we record the deaths of Ruby Violet Collins, Iris Heritage aged 68, Frederick (Gordon) White, Ernest Woolley aged 81 and Madge Wyatt aged 86 and on behalf of the village we send our condolences to their family and friends.

Andy Horne Helen Foster
hookynews@totalise.co.uk helen@broadedged.co.uk



RATES – CHEQUES PAYABLE TO 'HOOK NORTON NEWSLETTER'
Text & advertising copy deadline 15th JANUARY 2008
Text for Village activities Free (a small donation is welcome)
Inserts for Village Activities On request from Andy Horne
Commercial Advertising £24 per page & pro rata per issue
Commercial Inserts £20 per issue
Donations can be put in the Newsletter Box in the Post Office or posted to; Newsletter, c/o Hook Norton Post Office, Queen Street, Hook Norton, Oxon.


The views expressed in the Newsletter are not necessarily those of the Editorial Team, but this bit is :

FROM ALL OF US AT THE
HOOK NORTON VILLAGE NEWSLETTER
MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HOLIDAYS
AND A FANTASTIC NEW YEAR!



PLEA FROM THE EDITORS
Over the past few months the size of the Newsletter has been increasing and the advertising within it has been increasing at a faster rate than the articles. We don't actively 'sell' advertising and it is encouraging that advertisers feel that the Newsletter is such a worthwhile advertising medium that they seek it out (.. you can hear the 'but' coming, so here it is...) but we are also aware that the Newsletter is primarily for news from and about the village and its surrounding areas. Advertising local services for local people fits the general idea and is a useful source of information and interest, always providing it doesn't take over and swamp the articles about life in the village.
Generally we have aimed for about a 50/50 split between ads and articles, favouring those businesses that are based in or run by Hook Norton people. In October the Newsletter was 76 pages and advertising accounted for 37 of those pages. We don't want to be a victim of our success and end up turning people off, so in the future we want to work on the principle of maintaining the wide variety of advertisers and the local focus while reducing the total number of pages used.
We will be asking those with larger adverts to consider reducing their advert size as and when the 'booking' comes up for renewal. New advertising will be accepted at smaller sizes too, which will help add to the variety of advertisers and the interest to the village. Applying this as a general rule will help us to reduce the page count and increase the readability of the Newsletter.
We also want to actively encourage contributions from and about the village; the more varied, the better. Photographs with the text are also very welcome to add impact and we will help with layout and little pictures if you like. It doesn't have to be a great long piece – in fact 'short and sweet' is best, but use your Newsletter to let others know what is going on and planned for the future. Continuing the idea of variety in the mix, please limit your contributions to a maximum of two A5 pages.
We hope you understand our desire to a) keep the balance between articles and advertising in favour of the articles and b) maintain a variety and size of articles in a way which reflects the activities and achievements of all groups, individuals and organisations within the village.
Eds


2008 Directory of Services
Would you like to be included in the 2008 Hook Norton Directory of Services? This brochure of names and numbers for local businesses and places of interest, is distributed along with the February Village Newsletter, so entries need to be in by 31st December. As well as the obvious advantage of advertising our ever increasing number of local businesses, this brochure is intended to inform villagers of contact names and numbers for the many local organisations that we have, under headed categories. Forms are available on the Hook Norton Web Site here. Forms can be emailed to Diana at diana@geminis.freeserve.co.uk To help with the printing costs, a donation of £4 for the Hook Norton Newsletter should be attached to all forms or sent electronically. Details from Diana or the webmaster.
Diana Barber


WORKMEN
I notice that a small group of men have appeared again calling at houses and offering to weed drives, clean gutters etc and, after a poor quality job done in quick time, then accompanied by a couple of heavies, an excessive amount is demanded from the resident particularly if they happen to be elderly.
It was apparent from the last census that there is a large number of properties in the village with only one occupier — nearly 200 out of the 800 houses and there must be a lot of elderly people in that figure.
May I make a suggestion that you bring this to the attention of the villagers in your next editorial? I find the easiest way to get rid of these people is to say I need a written quotation. I never see them again so I suggest the best advice to readers is "Always insist on a written quotation" or better still say' I always use the local village builder'.
Some of these men say they are from Smiths of Bloxham to give themselves some air of credibility. I have not checked this but I doubt it. I know of a case where after power washing a small drive the demand was for £1,500. Obviously, this was highly excessive but after bargaining down the final payment was still far too high (£500).
Name supplied


HOOK NORTON BAPTIST CHURCH
We are sad to record the deaths of two church friends recently, Ernest Woolley and Jill Gage. Our love and prayers are with Eleanor and Mike, and their families. These deaths co-incided with 5 others in the village that occurred over a two week period, and we are very conscious of the fact that there will be a big gap in these local families at this time. Our hearts go out to all who have lost loved ones recently. Faith in God can be a great strength and comfort in times of trouble and loss but many are not sure how to find this, or have no certainty about life after death. If anyone has questions about these issues (not necessarily those facing bereavement) and would like to talk about them, John or I would be happy to help.(Telephone nos. below)
We have just sent off approx. 80 shoe boxes of gifts for needy children in poor countries via "Operation Christmas Child" and hope they will bring joy to some young lives.
On November 25th we celebrated John Taylor's 10th anniversary as our pastor, with a special service led by Phil Deller, minister of Chipping Campden Baptist Church, and a shared lunch to follow.
Our usual programme of Christmas Services starts with a Carol Service on Dec 23rd at 10.30am, then a communion on Christmas Eve, starting at 11.15pm, and Christmas Day Family Service at 10am. A warm welcome is extended to anyone who would like to join in any of these services.
Our “Just Desserts " series of social events kicks off again in January with a Musical evening featuring local musicians. The date is not yet confirmed, but look out for posters in the village. Other events will take place in February and March. Holiday Club dates for 2008 are August 4th to 8th.
Finally, let me me share with you this "Innkeepers Prayer" which surfaced last Christmas, although the source is unknown.
"Nobody told me she was the mother of the Christ Child the night I turned her away from my door two thousand years ago. I did not let her in and I went down in history as a cruel and heartless man. I did not mean to be unkind to Mary, the mother of Jesus. If I had known the things that Jesus Himself has taught men since then, I would have tried harder to help the Holy Mother. I know you forgave me, God, You know how I feel inside, but the world has never pardoned me. My story is in the Bible and it will always be echoed in the hearts of men that the Christ Child was born in a stable because I turned Mary away from my inn.
However serious my mistake was, it was no more unforgivable than the same mistake being made by millions today. Men and women in every walk of life seem to shut out Christ, when there is plenty of room everywhere. They shut Him out by their greed, their intolerance, their failure to love their fellow men. They should know better; books tell them, preachers tell them, the Bible tells them. They know what the birth of Christ meant to the world, but I did not know. I had been too busy to heed the prophecy. I did not know what it meant when the light appeared in the sky and the angels sang. But men know now. They know that love - the kind of love Christ has for His people - is the thing that will bring peace to save the world. They have more than one chance. All they have to do is open their hearts and minds to Him. He will come in. Tell them, God, tell them not to make the same mistake I did. Tell them to let the Christ Child in before it is too late."
God bless you!
Dorothy Smith
John Taylor


ST PETER'S CHURCH
Well, the 'Christmas issue' of the newsletter has come around again, and whether you have yet had to fight your way through the ever-growing collection of Christmas glitz in Banbury or not, the fast-approaching festive season is becoming hard to ignore.
St. Peter's kicked off its Christmas run-up with the annual Craft Fair, which is now one of the most popular and well-attended in the region! This year's event raised nearly £4,500, so many thanks to all those who attended and supported the day. Heartfelt thanks especially to chief organiser and cornerstone, Jan Hughes, without whom the Craft Fair just wouldn't happen, along with the myriad of workers who helped make the day so successful, and to the many talented 'crafters' who wowed us with their creativity and enabled us to start our Christmas shopping without even stepping out of the village!
Copies of our 'exculsive' St. Peter's Nature Calendar for 2008 sold like hot-cakes at the craft fair, and are also now available to purchase either at the village shop or the village post office. Many thanks to both establishments for agreeing to sell them for us. The A4 sized calendar has space to write notes for each day, and each month features a seasonal photograph by Patrick Fox. They are priced at £5 each, with all proceeds from sales going to St. Peter's.
Christmas is a time that, whilst often frenetic, should allow reflection on what we are actually celebrating: the embodiment on earth of our One God in human form, and the subsequent sacrifice of life that was made for us all. Spare some time also, to pray for and remember the millions of Christians around the world who will not be able to celebrate Christmas or even worship in public, for fear of imprisonment, torture or death. For most Christians in the developed world, sharing and helping to spread God's word and the knowledge of Jesus' love is an integral part of 'being' a Christian, but in many other countries, they are persecuted, incarcerated or worse. Our prayers are needed daily.
Prayer has been the focus of the Benefice's recent participation in Tearfund's Global Poverty Prayer Week (November 12th), a week-long prayer programme involving 100,000 local churches and Christians groups worldwide. The initiative, supported by prayer vigils at churches around the Benefice, was dedicated to prayer for major global poverty-related issues, including climate change, trade injustice and water/sanitation, and took place through Tearfund's Be part of a miracle (www.bepartofamiracle.org.uk) campaign, which hopes to release 50 million people from spiritual and material poverty in the next ten years.
On to upcoming dates now, with lots of music and carols scheduled at St. Peter's during the run-up to the big birthday bash on December 25th.. Diaries at the ready....
Christmas concerts:

Special Christmas/New Year Services:

Regular Diary Dates:
Jesus and Me (JAM) club: Hook Norton Primary School study centre, every Wednesday, 3.15-4.15 pm during term time, for keystage 1 and keystage 2 children (not nursery).
Wheelers and Squealers: Our regular get-togethers for the village tots, tinies and their parents/carers. 11.00 am at St. Peter's, every second Thursday of the month (see posters for confirmation).
Benefice Prayer meetings: Every third Wednesday of the month. Please see noticeboard in church porch or the website for dates and venues.
Font Café: 10.00 am 'til 12.00 noon, every Tuesday and Saturday morning at St. Peter's. Fresh coffee, tea and biscuits, served free of charge. It's an opportunity to meet with friends, relax and enjoy a chat. Children and well-behaved dogs welcome! If anyone would like to help out as a Font Café volunteer, even on an occasional basis, please speak to Jan Hughes for more information, or pop along during opening times and speak to any of the helpers on that day!

Please remember the start of the next Alpha course, which takes place at the home of Janet Collins, is scheduled for the New Year. Alpha is an opportunity for anyone to explore the Christian faith in a relaxed and low-key setting, with a meal and discussion time. For a general overview, please have a look at the Alpha website, on http://uk.alpha.org, or speak to Janet Collins, Jan Hughes or Sheila Acreman.
And finally, we are now hopefully very close to being granted the Faculty that will enable us to remove and replace the old pews in St. Peter's with much more comfortable, upholstered chairs. More concrete news is anticipated in the next issue!
Wishing everyone a peaceful Christmas and New Year.
Sophia Fox, Churchwarden; sophiafox1@aol.com; www.stpeters-hooknorton.org.uk


KATHARINE HOUSE HOSPICE
Collegium Regale Concert- St. Mary's Church, Adderbury, 13th January 2008, 7.30pm
Katharine House Hospice is delighted to be presenting a concert in the New Year to be performed by Collegium Regale choral scholars of King's College, Cambridge. All members are currently students at the University of Cambridge, studying a variety of disciplines, but all sharing the same passion for choral music. Their repertoire spans eight centuries, with emphasis on sacred music from the fifteenth to the twentieth century; madrigals, folk songs, part songs and close harmony — for which the group is best known. Many remark on the diverse nature of the group's repertoire; surprised to find Byrd and the Beach Boys within the same concert programme!
Tickets are £15 each (including mulled wine) and can be obtained by calling Sarah in the Fundraising Office on (01295) 812161. Please note that there will be no allocated seating on the evening and doors open at 7pm.
Christmas Merchandise
Don't forget we still have a wide selection of Christmas cards and our hospice garden calendar is available at our five charity shops (including Chipping Norton) and hospice reception.
Quilt Raffle
We are holding our popular Quilt Raffle again this Christmas, using two beautiful hand-made quilts made and donated by supporters. Tickets are £1 each and will be on sale from early November with the raffle being drawn in mid to late December.
Hospice Christmas Quiz
This year's quiz has been even more popular than last years and you can still buy it at hospice reception and in our charity shops, price £2. Closing date Monday 21st January 2008. Winner will be notified. 1st prize: a meal for two at Feathers Bistro, Woodstock.
Thank you for your ongoing support which is very much appreciated.
Sarah Bidwell Fundraising Dept, (01295) 812161


COMMUNITY MORNING
A fun session for babies and pre-schoolers accompanied by a parent or carer.
Play, 'making' projects, singing, stories and refreshments.
Wednesdays 9.10am to 11.15am, term time only at the Field Study Centre, Hook Norton School
** We will finish on 19th December for Christmas**
** First session for 2008 will be 9th January **
For information, contact 01608 730875


LOOKING FOR A PEN FRIEND IN AFRICA?
We spent a few weeks in Northern Malawi this summer renovating a Health Centre for the local community & were approached by a manager in the local technical college to find a pen friend for his 15 year old daughter.
She is studying at school for her final exams in September 2008 & she loves watching movies.
Malawi is such a beautiful country & the people are so friendly.
If you are interested please contact Anne Tutt (Anne.Tutt@ukgateway.net)

HNSSC YOUTH CLUB OUTING -24TH OCTOBER 2007
After months of fund raising and meeting our target of £500 for the entry tickets, the day finally arrived to go to Drayton Manor Park.
We were all on time for the coach and set off as planned at 9am.
The sun was shining, just as we'd hoped and the kids were let loose in the park when we arrived. They couldn't wait to go on the rides that we were too scared to even watch. Little Zach and Val Stratford came along and we finally braved the Dragon Roller coaster. (it was quite high!)… Some of us met up for lunch whilst others queued time after time for their favourite rides.
We all met up at 4pm to go on the Log Flume together. Thirteen of us braved the cold water, others were already soaked as they couldn't wait and had already been on. It was a scream!
At 4.45pm we all met near the entrance to have a photo shoot, then back to the coach for 5pm. We were all on time! We arrived back to Hooky, after a fab day at 6.30pm.
Can we say a huge Thank You to Val for paying £340 for the coach for us, through The Lee Stratford Trust. Without this, we would have had to ask the kids to contribute towards the trip, to Zach for being a little treasure, to all the parents who trusted us with their children AND last, but definitely not least…. To all the kids who came along on our first outing. You were all fantastic and an absolute credit to Hook Norton Youth Club. It was a pleasure to take you.
Love Kerrie and Colette
Youth Club Dates 14th Dec 6 - 7.30pm £1 7th Jan 6 - 8pm £1


RANGER GUIDES
Ranger Guides are part of the 14+ age group in Girlguiding UK.
We are a small group at present but hope to welcome several girls from Guides in the New Year.
In keeping with principles of Girlguiding UK we try to run a balanced and varied programme.
During half term we walked from Wolvercote along the Thames path into Oxford, climbed three towers - St Michael at the Northgate, Carfax and St Mary's - and then walked back to Wolvercote along the Oxford Canal path. These activities are part of a county Challenge to celebrate the '1000 years of Oxfordshire' .
An International flavour was introduced when, in recognition of the Hindu festival of Divali, the girls cooked and ate an Indian meal.
Several of the girls took part in the Remembrance Day parade.
Our programme up to Christmas includes a craft evening and a visit to the theatre as well as working on our current community action project in aid of the homeless.
If any girls or young women in the 14 to 25 age range would like to know more about Rangers they can email jenny.bruton@virgin.net
Jenny Bruton


FIVE FRUIT AND VEG. A DAY
If this medical recommendation makes for a healthier lifestyle, then by what we are experiencing, Hook Norton may need more land for allotments.
Twelve months ago we began to see the expansion of the Burycroft allotments. In this short period we have seen the membership increasing from eighteen to forty one plot holders. How has this come about?
A few years ago it was decided to form Hook Norton Allotment Association and by being affiliated to the National Allotments and Leisure Gardens Association, we were able to secure legal advice, beneficial seed prices and most importantly to have one voice when it came to issues of tenancy.
Twelve months ago, there were a sufficient number of people on the waiting list to warrant some action. The Parish Council were approached to see whether the under utilised grazing land below the allotments could be released for allotments. It didn't take long for this to be sanctioned so a further six plots were created. The lower field below the right of way was then earmarked to be let for grazing, but this did not come to fruition. The P.C then approached the HNAA to see if this land too could also be used for allotments.
After many hours of hard work, erecting fences, hanging gates and ploughing, the new plots were made available this October. Sixteen new plot holders are now busy preparing the land for next season's crops.
All of this would not have been accomplished had it not been for Melvyn Riley of the P.C and his support and for the dedicated work by members of the HNAA.
Maybe it's not just the” five fruit and veg.” that leads to a healthier life but it is the exercise and comradeship of being a Hooky allotment holder.
From a Plot Holder – name supplied


HOOK NORTON GARDEN CLUB
There was a good turn out for the AGM on 18 October. The Chairman Dave Coates looked back on the gardening year's successes and failures (caused by the weather) and concluded that gardening was a great activity evidenced by the increasing popularity of the Club. He was particularly pleased by the growing interest of children. All open meetings, Shows and visits had been well attended and the Club's finances were in a healthy position enabling donations to be made to help the Primary School vegetable garden project and for the provision of trees within the new boundary wall in Tite Lane. The Officers elected for the coming year were as follows;
Chairman Dave Coates;
Secretary Nick Faulkner;
Treasurer Tony Freeman;
Vice Chairman Verity Calderan;
and the Committee members were ; Peter Arnold; Malcolm Black; Christine Blackham; Ann Faulkner; Frank Faulkner; Alrys Morris and Sally Wood. Nick Price and Dorcas Wedmore also agreed to join the Committee.
Nick Faulkner had indicated his wish to stand down as Secretary and the Chairman would like to hear from anyone who would be prepared to take on this not very onerous office.
The AGM was followed by an interesting slideshow by Graham Soden on Greenland. The final meeting of the year will be of 21 November when Vicky Hubbard will demonstrate Christmas Floral Arrangements followed by the usual wine and mince pies.
The Club year begins again in February and the Calendar of events will be included in the February Newsletter. New members are always particularly welcome and an application form will be attached to the Calendar.


HOOK NORTON W.I.
On Tuesday the 16th of October the W.I. Members were given a very interesting talk by Mrs. Barbara Grey about the weddings she had attended of some of the foreign students that stayed with her during their time in Oxford. As usual it was a very amusing and fascinating glimpse into other cultures and practices.
Our thanks go to Janice Black for organising a very successful shopping trip to Solihull on the 6th of November. It was beautiful day, great fun and everybody enjoyed the occasion.
Our next talk is called "one man's view" by Mr. Mike Hallam, and the competition is a picture of "A Hook Norton event".
Our meetings are held at the Baptist Hall every 3rd Tuesday of the month at 2p.m. Visitors are always very welcome.
Alrys Morris.


HOOK NORTON ART SOCIETY
It has been a year since the Society was formed and it has been a successful twelve months.
During the year, two six week courses were organised; firstly ' The Art of Spain' and secondly 'The Art of Sienna'. The Society also ran a Day School at the Brewery Centre on 'Victorian Art and Literature' and coach trips to visit Art Exhibitions in London.
The planned programme for the beginning of next year will include a six week course on '20th Century Art' at the Community Centre at the Primary School, starting on 31st January.
This will be followed by a Quiz Evening at the Brewery Centre on Saturday 9th February and a Day School at the Brewery Centre on 16th April, when the subject will be ' The Canterbury Experience – Chaucer and his Pilgrims'. The tutor will be Tim Porter.
Write these dates in your diary and if you are interested in these events, please contact Sue Coltman or Paul Warwick for further information.
Betty Couldrey


HOOK NORTON LIBRARY
Hello, just a short note from the library. We are very busy with lots of new members having joined.
We held another art afternoon in the half term in the reading room, with Jude Barret from the Ashmolean Museum. The children enjoyed making mummies (the Egyptian sort) as well as a sarcophagus, all ornately decorated, using paper and plaster - and very impressive they were too.
I'm hoping that in the not too distant future we may do a rhyme time for our younger members so watch this space.
Don't forget, that not only do we lend books, dvds etc. but we also recycle household batteries, have computers on broadband and have photocopying facilities as well.
Finally we would like to thank you all for your continued support of the library and wish you all a very happy Xmas and new year.
From Janet and Penny at Hook Norton Library

Library Opening Hours
Monday 2.00-5.00 pm, 6.00-7.30 pm
Wednesday 2.00-5.00 pm
Friday 2.00-5.00 pm, 6.00-7.30 pm
Saturday 10.00-12.00



MESSAGE FROM SANTA CLAUS TO CHIPPING NORTON LIONS
Dear Lions,
I have just received Lion Liz and Lion Mike's letter kindly reminding me that I had promised to help you with your Christmas collection this year. I will be delighted to come and see you all again to visit two of my favourite places Chipping Norton and Hook Norton! and be very pleased to meet the children and their parents again. I have already made the arrangements to get me to Chippy and Hooky for each visit and just to confirm.
Chipping Norton  
Tuesday 4th around 5.30 p.m. Walterbush Road - Hailey Avenue
Thursday 6th 5.30pm Late night shopping in the town
Tuesday 11th around 17.30 The Leys - Dunstan Ave. + East side of town.
Saturday 15th from 10a.m. - 4p.m.   Meet Santa in the town
 
Hook Norton 		 
Sunday 9th I spend the afternoon with you from about 1.30 p.m.
I am hoping Mother Christmas may be with me on some visits.
The Elves and Techno-gnomes have been working hard since their return from their Spring and Summer holidays to produce the presents. The Reindeers came back from the summer pastures looking very sleek and fat, especially Prancer. He was so fat all he could manage was a little hop! However my Dwarf grooms and trainer will have them back in fine fettle and by Christmas they will be ready for anything. Rudolf has said they will need to be fit as they were told by Mrs Christmas that I too had put on weight. What Cheek!
Looking forward to seeing you all again so please be good children.
Santa Claus.


CHIPPING NORTON ROTARY - “Life begins at 40!"
Chipping Norton's Rotary has just celebrated 40 years of Rotary and is looking for new members. Several ladies have recently joined for the first time and Chippy's Rotary is the fastest growing Club in the area.
Rotary, with over 1.2 million men and woman members in 165 countries, is a global network of volunteers from the professional and business worlds who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards and help goodwill across the world. Rotary which raises "millions" for charities has primarily been responsible for almost eradicating Polio having raised $500 Million since 1985.
Chippy's Rotary meets Monday evenings and is a highly social group who enjoy each other's company while raising funds mainly for local good causes. Further information can be obtained from
Paul Jackson http://www.chippingnortonrotary.org.uk/


HOOK NORTON FESTIVAL OF FINE ALES
The Beer Festival Donations Evening was held at the Brewery Visitor Centre on 30th October, where the following charities and organisations were invited to receive their cheques:

Leukaemia Research £5,500
First Response (first aid) £250
Hook Norton Rainbows £200
1st Hook Norton Brownies £200
2nd Hook Norton Brownies £200
Hook Norton Guides £200
Hook Norton Beavers £200
Hook Norton Newsletter £500
Hook Norton Playgroup £300
Lee Stratford £500
Fire Service Benevolent Fund £250
Hook Norton School minibus £800
Breast Cancer Research £500
Great Rollright School £300
Chipping Norton Midwives £300
Hook Norton School Music Department £300


The grand total of £10,500 is a tribute to the hard work of everybody involved and not least to that of the great beer-drinking residents of the village who braved the floods to do their bit for charity! Once again - many thanks to you all.


MUSIC AT THE CROSSROADS 2008 - 2007 DONATIONS
This year saw a record number of requests for donations from local groups and good causes and unfortunately we couldn't help with every request. We have focused on providing donations to village related groups, to those who help to make the event possible and ones that have a local connection, e.g. Katherine House Hospice. The complete list of all the donations includes…

Leukaemia Research £1,000   Air Training Corps £500
HN Pre School Play Group £300   Lee Stratford Trust £100
Katharine House Hospice £200   HN Netball club £100
HN Primary School £500   1st HN Brownies £150
HN WI £100   HN Rangers £100
HN 1st Rainbows £150   HN Care Group £150
HN Allotment Association £100   2nd HN Brownies £150
HN Sports & Social Club £250   HN Village Museum £200
HN Beavers £100   Sibford Cub Scouts £100
Lucy Curtis £100   HN Carry On Learning £100
HN Children's Holiday Club £200   HN St Peters Church Youth Group £100
Fire Service Benevolent Fund tbc    



HOOK NORTON PRESCHOOL PLAYGROUP

We'd like to say a huge thank you to the Chipping Norton Lions Club who have donated £150 to us so that we could buy a new cooker. Thank you, also to Buywise of Banbury for supplying a cooker at such a reasonable price.



HOOK NORTON SPORTS & SOCIAL CLUB THANK YOU'S
Well Done to all who attended our latest 3 fundraising events at the club.
1. Our Jumble on October 27th raised £155
2. The Yetties raised £116 - when an enjoyable night was had by all. Thank you also to the people who donated raffle prizes at this event.
3. and PUDSEY bingo raised £103 for the very worthy BBC children in need.
Your support is very much appreciated, keep up the good work!
Hope to see you all soon at the events listed in this newsletter. Many thanks.
HNS&SC.


THANK YOU !!!
Thank you so much to everyone that helped make the Sibford Gower Primary School “Auction of Promises” on 6th October such an amazing success.
To all of the people who pledged such wonderful and diverse “Promises” and to all who placed Sealed Bids or attended the very enjoyable evening – we thank you!
You helped us to raise £10,000 on the evening, towards the new Information and Technology suite and classrooms for the School.


WILDLIFE NOTEBOOK - MID SEPTEMBER TO MID NOVEMBER
Christopher Barry phoned to say that at about 15.45 on 5th October he saw 4 Buzzards circling around and calling over the East End of the village. On 26th October a Merlin was seen and heard making a terrible racket whilst flying in the East End being chased by a Crow.
Doug Marshall has emailed to say that in late October his attention was drawn to a Sparrowhawk which had downed a Wood Pigeon on a driveway in The Bourne. As it busily plucked its prey it was bothered by an opportunist Magpie landing a few feet away, repeatedly hopping in sideways, tearing off bits of the carcass and taking them into a neighbouring garden to eat. After watching for several minutes he fetched his camcorder. Predictably, as soon as it spotted the large lens looking at it, the Sparrowhawk took off with the Pigeon remains hanging from its talons, with the cheeky Magpie in hot pursuit, over the roof of the nearby house. He has noted this reaction before with birds of prey as they will tolerate people watching, but the beady eye of the camera is too much and he comments that Patrick Fox's Sparrowhawk photo on the August newsletter cover (also in the 2008 St Peter's Church calendar) was excellent. An observation, I am sure, we all agree with. All the wildlife photos in the Church calendar are superb. We have seen Sparrowhawks on a few occasions recently flying through our garden and twice a male sitting on our side fence. Single Herons have been seen around a great deal and they stand on the roof of the bungalow opposite us, who do have a pond in their garden. Is this the same Heron that was trying to get at Jackie's fish that was mentioned in the last newsletter - they are certainly persistent birds!
Our first Fieldfares were 6 on 4th October and we have seen many of these and Redwings since. I thought that the following information would be of interest to you as it is to me, as it talks about the arrival of migrants and is this happening early this year. The timings of migrants' arriving here can vary widely from year to year, depending on conditions on their breeding grounds, here, and at all points in between. For thrushes and finches it has a lot to do with the availability of their staple foods, including berries, seeds and nuts. Last autumn's migration was relatively slow as there was a glut of Rowan berries and beechmast both here and in Scandinavia and continental Europe, so these birds tended to stay closer to their breeding grounds, but this year, although the soft fruit harvest is good and the amount of Hawthorn berries not too bad, the big four, oak, Rowan, Beech and conifers, have had low crops in comparison to the last few years, so winter thrushes, finches and Jays are on the move that much earlier. Bad weather on the breeding grounds will obviously spur birds into moving south earlier, but they also need the right winds to allow them to reach the UK. So, high pressure in September brought a number of Nearctic rarities, while more recent easterly and northerly winds brought Siberian and Scandinavian migrants. It is really interesting that so many birds that we see during the winter are migrants.
We were very excited to have a couple of Meadow Pipits in our garden on 10th November and a male Blackcap of 13th November. There have been many Pied Wagtails around.
A Bat was seen on 12th October and a large Dragonfly on 13th October. The odd Butterflies have been around flying in the sunshine and the last ones seen are a Small Tortoiseshell and Red Admiral on 6th November.
David Shirt emailed to say that as he and Sandie were driving past Thistle Lea Farm on 26th October at 18.30 (only just dark) there was a Barn Owl sitting in the middle of the road. It was interested in something lying in the road (a dead mouse?) and they would have run it over if they had not stopped the car. It did eventually fly off.
At 07.10 on 31st October David Shirt has reported that there was a group of 4 Roe Deer grazing in a field at the top of South Hill. There was a Fox in our garden on 4th October at about 16.40 and on 12th November at about 16.20 there was one on the path coming into the village from Wigginton.
This year seems to be disappearing at a very fast rate and I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Thank you to those of you who have been in touch and please contact me with your sightings.
Geraldine Moore email: geraldine.moore1@btinternet.com


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CLIPPING FROM THE BANBURY GUARDIAN - 19TH NOVEMBER 1896
(with thanks to Ron Gibbins, Canada)

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ANNOUNCEMENTS




Joanne Bradbeer and Richard Turner were married at St Peter's Church
Hook Norton on October 13th 2007


Terry Donovan, aged 61 years, formerly of Hook Norton
Passed away on 7th November in Bishop Auckland Durham Hospital


The family of the late Mr. Gordon White would like to thank everyone for their kind cards, messages of sympathy and donations in their recent bereavement.